Every Step of the Way
by FallenxAngel321
Summary: Shadow: I must not want. I must not need. I must not love... especially if it concerns a particular pink rose... In this story, Shadow is about to find out how hard it is to fall in love with Amy Rose, fate's flower. Follow him in his dramatic journey to winning the rose of his life! If only it wasn't so difficult! BTW: it's kinda supernatural, too...
1. Step 1

CHAPTER 1

Crowds. Noise. Fake smiles plastered on painted faces. Shadow hated all of these things, so a grand event that required the presence of every lord and lady in the kingdom, such as the one he was currently in, put him in one of his moods. Don't get him wrong. The setup was gorgeous- the ivory marble floor glistened like diamonds underneath his feet, the golden stairs beside him were a waterfall of sunlight, a grand chandelier hung above the dance floor, and ribbons of all different colors decorated the large Ballroom.

A clear night peeked through the glass windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling all around the place. The music was slow- a waltz for the ladies to flirt and man, did they flirt. Shadow sneered at the sight. They all looked like dolls. Beautiful dolls, yes, but still lifeless. They moved and spoke and laughed, but all Shadow saw were dancing dresses of different styles and color. Souless. Empty. That's what he thought of the social world in which he found himself in.

It was at times like these where his mother would scold him for the frown and glaring eyes that always seemed to accompany his tormented mind. Of course, no scolding would ever tumble from those lips again. Not when she lay cold and buried in the dirt right at the edge of the Royal Orchard, the only place he was allowed to bury her. It wasn't the Royal Gardens, but it suited him just fine.

Since her death, no one blamed him for hating the world.

But enough of that. It was better to focus on the sophisticated chaos in front of him than remember the death of an unfortunate maid.

Yes, an unfortunate maid indeed.

Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink.

"Excuse me, but may I please have everyone's attention?"

Shadow looked up and nearly sighed with displeasure. His father, the Great King Williams, was about to announce his half-brother, Sonic, as the crown prince. Was he jealous? Of course! He was faster, stronger, and brighter than Sonic and had proved it many times over the past few years. Did he ever think he had a chance on becoming crown prince? No. He was the unwanted prince born from a lowly servant's womb- a curse cast on the King for being disloyal to his wife- Sonic's shadow, which is exactly why he was named Shadow by his father.

Every day in the sixteen years of life he had lived so far, Shadow watched Sonic be loved by everyone and felt himself falling into a dark, stone well full of loneliness and anger. The only thing that kept him sane all this time was one song- Maria. A beautiful song for certain, but its singer was unknown to him...

"Pouting again, Shadow?" a charming voice echoed in his ears.

Shadow turned around to see a white bat, a lady from the House of Wings, glide down the stairs. "Rouge, as lovely as ever."

Rouge smiled brazenly at Shadow, batting her eyelashes in a way that turned a few heads their direction. Shadow rolled his eyes as if to say 'Knock it off!'

They both turned their attention back to the stage where Sonic was just about to be given his crown.

As the silver metal settled onto Sonic's head, the applause began. Two females walked up to Sonic and kissed his cheeks- a pink hedgehog on the left and a brown squirrel on the right, Amy Rose and Sally Acorn, both ladies from prominent households, competing to be Sonic's wife and the next Queen.

"Disgusting filth." Rouge muttered under her breath. "How can a lady just throw herself on a male like that?"

Just then, a red echidna knight walked by, probably doing his duty by protecting some important noble.

Rouge smirked and strutted away, stalking the knight. Shadow sighed. She did this often, so he had grown used to it.

As he tried to keep Rouge in sight, which was a bit of a challenging since she blended so well with the crowd, his eyes fell on emerald mirrors. They locked him into place and he and their owner exchanged fire.

'Flirting with a Lady of the Wings, again? She'll only bring you trouble.' the emerald eyes sighed.

'Not as much trouble as you bring.' he shot back.

'Trouble? Me?' she laughed. 'If anything, I'll be bringing this kingdom paradise once I become Queen.'

'Lady Acorn might win. She seems to be trying her hardest to please the crown prince over there by the fountain. And he's falling for it. I can see the stars in his eyes...'

The connection was severed for a brief moment as the green eyes flickered over to Sonic and Sally, confirming Shadow's hint.

'You distracted me.'

'I'm so sorry my handsome face caused you to be distracted, Lady Rose.'

Amy rolled her eyes. 'Don't flatter yourself.'

'Didn't have to.' Shadow smirked.

Amy stomped over to Sonic and by forcefully pulling him onto the dance floor, began to dance. After watching them twirl a few times, Shadow returned his gaze to Rouge who had finally caught her prey. No doubt she would be missing for the rest of the night.

The party had started to wind up with people getting drunk and Shadow desperately wanted to go back into his rooms and fall asleep. An impossible task to accomplish when his father was headed straight for him.

"Shadow." King Williams called.

"Father." Shadow replied.

"I know that you feel as if you had deserved to be crown prince. So in order to dispel any cheated feelings, I will give you the honor of marrying the lady Sonic doesn't. Now, Amy Rose and Sally Acorn are both wonderful ladies, so whether you marry Amy or Sally, you are guaranteed a good wife!"

Shadow clenched his teeth and took quick, sharp intakes of breath to calm himself before replying. "Thank you, father."

The king beamed at him before moving on, never noticing how Shadow's clenched fists trembled with anger.

He had to get out of here.

Turning sharply around, Shadow stormed past the guarded doors and into the stables. The horses whined at the force of his frustration and stomped the ground with nervous energy. With jerking movements, he readied a palmetto horse for a midnight ride, but just as he was about to get on, a hand gently settled over his own. Shadow flinched away at the sudden contact and turned to face his intruder.

No one was there.

Shadow blinked and for a moment, he thought he saw his mother, but he stared hard and saw a moving shadow. His focus all went to the little open field he could see through the small cut-out window on the other side of the stable. Cautiously, he approached it and saw the shadow again.

Suddenly, a dark monster slammed against the window, causing Shadow to flinch away. As fast as it came, it disappeared. Shadow drew out his sword and rushed outside to confront the beast, but the area was clear.

"Ahhhh!"

Shadow faced the castle and bolted his way back. Upon reaching the ballroom, he skidded to a stop at the entrance.

Most of the lights were blown out and the whole place was covered in night, which made it harder to see the monsters that seemed to blend in with the darkness. He spotted his father being ushered on top of the stage to be protected by a circle of guards. The females stumbled in all directions as the males with weapons charged the beasts. Then, he found Sonic, trying his best to protect both Amy and Sally.

Shadow raised his sword and ran straight into the chaos. They were everywhere. No matter how many times he swung, the beasts would regroup and lunge again. Slowly, he made his way towards Sonic.

"Sonic!" Shadow shouted.

"Shadow!" Sonic huffed. "Glad to see you here."

They swung in a coordinated motion and scarred the beast in front of them.

"Good-" Shadow spun around and slammed the hilt of his sword into an exposed belly. "-to know."

"Sonic!" Sally screamed.

Sonic and Shadow turned around to see three monsters attack Amy and Sally. For a moment, it seemed as if life was over for them, but then Amy swiftly stepped in front of Sally and summoned a hammer into her hand. With one blow, she disintegrated them from the air just as their open jaws reached for her flesh.

A beast roared and a few minutes later, they were gone and the lights returned.

"What the-" Sonic started, but was interrupted as King Williams shoved through the crowd to stare at Amy.

"Amy Rose! Explain yourself!" the King bellowed.

Amy just stared at him calmly. "It's what you see, my King. The Golden Weapon is in my hands."

The crowd murmured with shock.

Shadow watched as Amy's muscles tensed as if she was about to fight a war all by herself.

"Exile her!" someone shouted.

"She's bad luck! As long as she's here, those things will continue to attack us!" a rich lady to Shadow's left cried out.

Shadow felt his own anger rise. Not at Amy, but at the people around him. Couldn't they see that she got rid of them?

"You are the reason they came! What have you got to say for yourself?" Sally spat.

That did it.

"In case you forgot, Amy just saved your life, you miserable squirrel!" Shadow barked. "She may be the reason they came, but she's also the reason they left!"

For a while, everyone was silent. Then, Sonic spoke up. "Shadow's right. Amy was the one who drove them away."

King Williams scratched his head in thought. "Fine. She may stay, but if those things ruin another party, she's gone!"

'Typical of the King. Only thinking about his grand parties.' Shadow thought.

As soon as the crowd dispersed, Amy hopped into Shadow's line of view.

"Thanks for helping me." Amy said.

Shadow grunted. He didn't really help her, he was only thinking of himself, but if she wanted to think that way it was fine with him.

Amy stared at him with her shimmering eyes and Shadow did a double take. There were golden specks in them.

Beautiful...

He clenched his teeth before he said so out loud. Sneering, Shadow turned around and marched away before he did something stupid.

Amy watched him leave and sighed.

She had blown her cover. Now, there was no possible way that she could become Queen. The King would never allow Sonic to marry her even if he fell desperately in love. Still staring at Shadow, Amy wondered about him. He was the second prince whose mother was a dead maid. Just because of that, he would never belong to high class.

'Too bad,' she thought. 'His looks are similar to Sonic's, but there is a powerful air about him.'


	2. Step 2

**CHAPTER 2**

"You're annoying."

"You only think that because you know I'm right."

Shadow and Amy faced off in a verbal battle that had been going on since the first light of dawn. Neither one would risk damage to their pride by backing down. How did this happen? Well, it started off with a bee that led to an "accidental" slap from a pink hedgehog (who must not be named) which ultimately ended with the now silent staring contest. Rubies stared at the slightly flustered emeralds that were about three inches away.

"...Alright, alright! I get it! I'm...sorry." Amy finally shouted, drawing back.

Shadow held her gaze for a few more seconds before he let a smirk grace his face. "Thought so."

Amy sniffed in disdain. She didn't like to lose...even if she was at fault.

Shadow leaned back on the tree behind him and continued to stare at Amy.

For awhile, Amy tried to ignore the fact that his gaze bothered her. She sat down by the white daisies and let her hand drift over the delicate petals. There was about five feet between herself and Shadow. _Too far..._

Amy mentally slapped herself. 'What is wrong with me?'

Hesitantly, almost shyly, Amy peeked over her shoulders just enough to catch Shadow's eyes. Blushing, she whipped back around and buried her face in the flowers, trying to act as if she was admiring their scent.

Lucky for her, Shadow didn't notice her embarrassment. He was too busy wondering why Lady Rose hung out near him lately. Usually, she would be fawning over Sonic. He didn't mind her company, but it did make him confused. Did she think she owed him for sticking up for her? No, as kind as she was, he knew better than anyone that Amy had her own schedule to stick to. Of course, what her schedule exactly was he didn't know.

Then, a slight breeze ruffled his quills and sent Amy's dress fluttering. Shadow's attention was suddenly back to the female in question. She was wearing a white dress today, he noted to himself. It was almost whiter than the soft daisies she surrounded herself with. As he watched, Amy's eyelashes fluttered in a blink. It was just a normal blink. Nothing special, but to Shadow, it was as if angel wings were preparing to take flight. Shadow clutched his shirt as his stomach flipped and his heart beat got louder, drumming in his ears.

For some reason, he really wanted to touch her. Embrace her...whisper words of love in her ears...

"Shadow? Are you okay?"

The angelic voice, full of concern, nearly made him break whatever control he had left. He closed his eyes and calmed himself before answering. "F-Fine."

'Dang it!' Shadow thought. 'My voice shook. So uncool...'

"If you say so..." Amy said.

Shadow needed to change the topic. "Why are you always around me nowadays?" he blurted out.

Amy did a double take. _She was always around him lately?_

She thought back to the days ever since the attack. Now that he mentioned it, she _had_ been unconsciously followed him around! She would have blushed if she wasn't too shocked with herself. _This was not good..._

"I... um... I haven't been following you!" Amy said quickly. "I've just happened to want to be at the places you were. Nope. I wasn't following you. Um..._Yeah..._so... I think I hear someone calling my name-"

"We're the only ones here, Rose." Shadow interrupted.

"I-I-I need t-to go." Amy stammered out. "Bye!"

Before Shadow could make any move to stop her, Amy was gone.

'What. Just. Happened?'

Ever since then, Amy avoided Shadow. She hung around Sonic more than before and clung to him obsessively. Shadow, on the other hand, continued to lounge around the Palace Gardens. From an outsider's view, it seemed as if everything returned to normal. Of course, that was not the case.

"Soniccc!" Amy shouted, tackling the crown prince with a bear hug from behind.

"Uff! Morning, Ames." Sonic greeted. Beside him, Sally huffed in annoyance.

"You need to stop attacking him like that before you hurt him." Sally growled, gritting her teeth.

Almost instantly, the wide hallway they were in turned into a frozen battlefield. Sonic's sweat dropped.

"Hey, let's all calm down..." Sonic consoled.

"Sonic, could you _please_ tell this mangy bag of fur that there is _no way_ I would ever hurt you?" Amy asked as sweet as she can, but the hidden menace was clearly there.

"Sonic, just hurry up and tell this winter berry to leave us." Sally spat.

"Winter berry? Who are you calling winter berry?"

"Who do you think?"

"You- ugh! Leave us alone, fleabag!"

"Naked rat!"

"MANURE COVERED BATHROOM!"

"Wha-? FEATHERLESS LEMONS!"

"FYI: Lemons naturally don't have feathers!"

"You know what I mean!"

Amy, fiercely shooting daggers with her eyes, opened her mouth to retort _again_.

"You're blocking the hallway." a new voice entered the conversation.

Amy flinched and quickly looked away from the source of the voice.

"Oh, hey, Shadow. Sorry." Sonic apologized.

"Don't be sorry, Sonic. It's not _your_ fault. It's _hers_." Sally spat, clearly not over the fight.

"Who are you-" Amy started before she caught Shadow's eyes and went back to staring at the wall.

An odd silence hung in the air between them. Sonic and Sally exchanged confused glances, but Shadow continued to look at Amy.

Amy remained motionless, refusing to relax her body. Then, she heard Shadow's footsteps walk away and visibly sighed in relief. However, the situation was not back to the way it was when Amy finally turned around. Sonic and Sally both stared at her as if she was a lunatic.

For a moment, Amy stared back speechless until her face grew hot and red. Without a word, she turned and ran away. What was wrong with her? There was no reason to have avoided Shadow like that. In fact, this situation wouldn't even have become like this if it wasn't for her. She had to admit. If there was one flaw about her that would always annoy her in some way, it was the fact that she reacted to almost everything in an extreme way.

As she continued to hate herself, Amy found herself losing breath. She knew she could run for a bit longer before she was completely out of breath, so she stopped. Looking around, she realized that she had run right into the Marketplace just outside the palace walls. Well, at least she could make an excuse for running away so suddenly by saying that she remembered that she needed to buy something.

_Yeah... no one was going to buy that..._

Amy sighed as she stared at a few jade vases in a stall next to her.

_Well...might as well look around..._

For the next couple of hours, Amy wandered from place to place, looking at different items. The things she looked at ranged from small, handcrafted charms to priceless jewels. Nothing really caught her eye until finally, she passed by a small jewelry stand that seemed to have squeezed in between two others just like it. It displayed all kinds of rings, necklaces, and bracelets, but the thing that she found herself staring at was an earring.

Not a pair of earrings. One earring.

It was made from an onyx metal that twisted and curled around, creating a braided image of a rose garden. At the tip, as if the garden had suddenly liquefied and changed color, was a tear-shaped garnet. The garnet was so beautifully cut and red that it almost looked like a ruby. It wasn't all that big and compared to all the other gems around it, it was somewhat dull. Honestly, it wasn't to Amy's normal tastes or style because she usually preferred jewelry that conveyed feelings of summer or spring; this ornament was dark and magnetic.

_Just like Shadow._

Amy blinked. Did she really just think that?

"I didn't take you for that kind of person." a sparkling voice said next to her.

"Lady Rouge!" Amy nearly shouted, spinning around to face the newcomer.

"Hey." Rouge winked at Amy. "How are you, Lady Rose?"

Before Amy could answer, a knight appeared with a young, cream-colored rabbit.

"Knuckie! Oh, I missed you soooo much!" Rouge greeted the echidna knight with a passionate kiss. As 'Knuckie' froze in embarrassment, Amy and the rabbit exchanged an equally embarrassed look.

"Rouge! Not in front of Lady Rabbit!" Knuckles scolded, but the way he said it, one would wonder if he was praising a puppy.

"Oh, don't act like you didn't like it." Rouge teased, tracing invisible hearts on Knuckle's chest.

Blushing, Knuckles glanced towards Amy and Cream. Immediately, they pretended to be interested in a piece of jewelry. Quick as lightning, he placed a kiss on Rouge's lips and looked away, blushing redder than humanly possible. (It's a good thing he's an echidna then!)

"You know, Knuckles, it's okay to leave me alone for a bit." Cream suggested.

"No way! My job is to protect you!" Knuckles protested. "What if something happened while I was away?"

"I'll be with Amy the entire time! She's the Golden One, so it'll be okay!" Cream smiled.

At the mention of the 'Golden One', a few bystanders suddenly started to shift away. No one but Amy noticed, however. It wasn't as if she didn't expect that sort of reaction, but it still kind of hurt- like a small stab to the heart. Just a little one. Besides, she was used to this. Not many people liked the 'Golden One'. In fact, that name was even a joke- a sarcastic nickname to call the monster caller. Well, it was a joke now since only a few remembered the Golden One's only purpose in life. A purpose that had _nothing _to do with her. Not anymore.

"Well...if you say so..." Knuckles mumbled.

Rouge's eyes glittered mischievously. "Ta ta..."

And off the lovers went, leaving Amy and Cream still standing by the jewels.

Amy turned to Cream. "Well, Lady Rabbit, what would you like to do?"

"Don't be so formal, Amy. We're great friends after all." Cream chuckled.

Amy's heart lifted at the word 'friends' and smiled in a rush of warmth. Cream smiled back. For the next hour or so, the two girls went from one shop to another, trying on different clothes. The entire time, Amy laughed, smiled, and didn't think of Shadow once. That is until she thought she saw him in the crowd.

_'No, it can't be.' _Amy thought.

But the unmistakable, red-streaked black quills continued to reappear among the many merchants and shoppers. As if she had no choice, her eyes stayed glued to the those quills. He looked like he was looking for someone. Could it be her?

No way. Why would he even-

That was when their eyes met. Blazing rubies caught wishful emeralds in a sudden trap of intimacy. Then, Shadow turned and began to walk towards her. Amy's heart kept skipping beats until finally, he stood directly in front of her, their breaths skimming the other's lips.

"Amy." Shadow whispered. "I need to talk to you."

* * *

**Cliffhanger? What does Shadow need to say to Amy? Have they fallen in love yet? (Well, according to them, the answer is no...) Time will tell!**

**Thank you for the reviews so far! I really enjoyed reading them and I hope that you will continue to read this story of mine! Also, if you have any comments or suggestions, I am open to improvements! Thank you, once again! XD**


	3. Step 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"Talk? Talk about what?" Amy asked nervously. Then she saw Shadow's frantic expression and asked again in a more collected tone. "Shadow? What's wrong?"

Shadow's eyes flickered over to Cream, who was still standing beside Amy. "Not here."

Amy looked at Cream, too.

"Well... I sure feel like an intruder!" Cream mumbled under her breath as the two hedgehogs glanced back at each other.

"I can't leave Cream behind." Amy said.

Shadow started to pace. There was clearly something urgent Shadow needed to say and Amy really wanted to know what it was, but she couldn't just abandon Cream. Especially since she would be leaving Cream alone in the Marketplace. What if something happened? Shadow got the message and he wasn't pleased. At all. It must be really bothering him.

"As soon as you return to the palace, let's talk." Shadow growled. "I mean it. _As soon as you return!"_

With that, he plunged back into the crowd and stalked off somewhere; probably headed straight to the palace to await her return. Amy continued to stare at the place where Shadow had been standing just a few seconds ago when she felt a little tug on her sleeves.

"Come on, Amy. Let's go find Knuckles so that you can hurry up and talk to Prince Shadow." Cream said gently. "It must be super important for the second prince to seek you himself!"

Amy could only nod silently in agreement. She seemed to have frozen into stone, so Cream literally had to drag her away.

It took a _long_ time to track down Knuckles' exact whereabouts. It almost seemed as if Rouge was dragging him to every bar/inn in the entire city. If a man told the girls that he saw the echidna and bat couple at so-and-so, three minutes later, another man would say he just passed by them at a different place. To Cream and Amy, tracking them down had started to feel like finding the Labyrinth's exit- an almost impossible task. When the two girls finally saw them, they were practically crawling and didn't have the strength to call to them, so Amy picked up a small rock and threw it. Unfortunately, the rock flew over Knuckles' head and into someone's drink. Before a warning could be called out, that someone drank it and started chocking.

Unable to breathe and in complete shock, the poor stranger grabbed Rouge's arm, most likely trying to ask for help, but instead, sent them both down. Knuckles only knew one thing: his lover was just pushed down by a stranger. Shouting angrily, he threw the stranger off of Rouge, hurling the pitiful bird into two other birds, both of whom were very large and very angry. The birds struggled up, except for the chocking one who was starting to turn green.

Cream and Amy glanced at each other with a mixture of embarrassed amusement and shocked guilt. Together, they dove into the chaos that was starting to get bigger and bigger. It was an all out boxing game between Knuckles, the two buff birds, and the helpless chocker.

Cream was the first to get knocked out while trying to calm the men down. Ironically, she landed on the bird who had just started turning blue and somehow in some way, the sudden weight on his back caused the bird to cough the stone back up. As the rock flew out, so did Amy's hammer.

"HEY! QUIT IT!" Amy shouted. Immediately, the three stopped fighting, but they still had each other in a lock. "Thank you."

Amy put away her hammer and sighed in relief. The chaos was over.

Then, an elated voice chirped. "Oh, thank you so much! You're an angel! A goddess! Oh, merciful Heavens! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I thought I was going to die for sure!"

Everyone turned to the raven who had been chocking just moments ago. He was pumping Cream's hand so fast, she thought her arm would become dislocated.

One of the big crows spoke up, "You okay there, Tom?"

The raven turned to the crows beside Knuckles and smiled. "I am now!"

For some reason, no one knew why, the atmosphere suddenly became friendly and everyone laughed.

The two bulky crows turned to Amy and shook hands with her.

"You've got some volume, miss." the crow to her left said. "I'm Gil and this here's my twin brother, Phil. That skinny little raven over there is Tom. He's a close friend of ours." Gil pointed out each bird as he said their names.

"Um, nice to meet you!" Amy replied, slightly overwhelmed. "My name's Amy Rose!"

"Ah, the Golden One. There's a lot of rumors about you." Phil said, but after seeing Amy's face deflate a little, he quickly added, "Not anything we believe, of course! We consider you our friend!"

Friend. There was that beautiful word again. Hearing it, Amy smiled despite herself.

"Woah, friends already? That was quick!" Rouge blurted.

The birds laughed. "Anyone with an energy like the Golden One's, here, is a friend of us. That includes you all, too!"

Amy smiled. '_So there are people like them in this world, too...'_

The birds invited Amy and the rest for dinner. Forgetting why this had even started, Amy agreed. Before they all knew it, the sun was no longer visible. She had forgotten the urgent need to speak to Shadow. However, the memory fell on her like a ton of bricks the moment she realized the time.

"Ah, dang it!" Amy cried. "I need to go right away!"

Everyone, except for Cream, protested.

"Aw, don't go! It's not even midnight yet!" Tom chirped.

"I'm sorry. I need to speak with someone about important matters, but, hey, I might visit you guys!" Amy said.

"Don't 'might' me! You'd better visit or else I'll go find you!" Phil and Gil said simultaneously. As soon as they said it, they looked at each other with annoyance.

This caused another round of laughter.

Amy grinned. "Fine. I _will_ come back to visit. Gotta go! Bye!"

Everyone shouted their own good-byes as Amy raced out of the Green Inn and onto the streets, heading straight for the palace.

_'Please let Shadow be in a forgiving mood...'_ Amy thought.

(Is he ever?) Not really. And he certainly wasn't feeling very forgiving after standing by the entrance ever since he got back.

As soon as Amy burst into the palace, she met Shadow's heated glare and tripped, causing her to land sprawled out on the carpet in front of him. "Sorry, sorry! As soon as you left, Cream and I went to go find Knuckles, but he and Rouge are like fish that slip out of your hands before you can catch them! And then when we finally found them, I threw a rock and Tom started chocking on then-"

Amy shut up as soon as Shadow put his hands up for silence. With that same hand, Shadow snatched Amy's wrist and guided her quickly down several hallways. After many twists and turns, they finally arrived at a silver door that looked a lot like a safe. It opened like a safe, too, except that you had to use three or so keys to unlock it first.

Shadow marched right in as Amy hesitated at the doorway, staring at the private door.

"Are you going to come in or not?" Shadow spat.

Amy flinched and almost ran away, but her body moved forward. As soon as she was completely in, Shadow slammed the door shut and locked it back. Even though her instincts told her to run, Amy 's curiosity was stronger.

"Shadow, what's going on?" Amy asked. "What's been on your mind?"

Shadow was pacing again, agitated beyond control. "I'll tell you what's going on, it's your stupidity that got us into this mess!"

"Wah-?" Amy bit back any retort she was going to shout at him.

_'This isn't the time for that, Amy.'_ she thought to herself.

After taking a deep breath to relax, Amy tried again. "Will you please tell me what's bothering you?"

"You! You're bothering me!" Shadow shouted.

This time Amy didn't hold back. "Gah! What did I do?"

"You let that squirrel bury herself into Sonic's heart and now they might get married!"

"I'm _sorry?_ It's not like I didn't try! Maybe they're met to be together!"

"Yeah, but if they get married, we will be forced to marry each other! I have no desire to be married." Shadow growled. "I thought you needed to become Queen no matter what!"

This was what Shadow understood about her that no one else did. When she first came to this kingdom, she had her eyes set on becoming Queen. That was her goal. No, she had never told Shadow her reasons nor her plan. He just guessed. The first time they met, he just guessed. She could see the slight disgust and interest in his red eyes- nearly lifeless even though they were the color of passion. It was an unspoken agreement that friendship was never an option for them. Acquaintances, maybe. Just because they understood each other without words. But never friends. She knew, just as he did, that their schedules were different. However, it still hurt to feel unwanted.

With bitter tears threatening to spill, Amy clenched her jaw and growled back. "I can still be Queen! He didn't propose yet, did he?" Shadow shook his head. "Then I can still be Queen! I have a chance!"

"You have about 24 hours left, Lady Rose." Shadow said, finally calming down enough to stop growling. "Tomorrow night, there will be another ball. If the rumor spreading among the servants is true, then Sonic will be choosing his bride then. You have until then to win his favor. Got it?"

Amy nodded solemnly. She _had_ to do this. Nothing else mattered.

* * *

**Thank you all for the lovely reviews, again! I really love reading them! (it makes the time spent into each chapter worth it)**

**And I know this is a short chapter, but the next chapter is when the plot kicks in! ...Like Shadow's refusal to admit the obvious...and Amy's hammer's connection to the monsters (btw: what the heck are those things?) XD All this may be revealed...it may not be the next chapter but surely, explanations will be given! lol**

**HAVE FAITH!**


	4. Step 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Shadow had been doing nothing but staring at the palace all day. Morning had passed and gone. Most likely, it was late afternoon or would be soon. Some may have become bored after the first few hours of doing nothing, but not Shadow. He had too much on his mind to bother about having 'fun'. If anything, resting in the Royal Gardens and contemplating about life was fun to him. That and fencing. Something about driving a sword through a dummy set his mind at ease. Of course, he could never do it to a real person...Truthfully, he didn't think he had the guts to kill a real person.

Then a group of young maids walked by, gossiping with each other. Shadow sighed, his brows coming together in a frustrated knot, as he remembered Amy's face last night. He still couldn't believe that she cried. _Cried! Amy Rose, the sunlit hedgehog, cried!_ _And it was his fault!_ It bothered him more than the ill news he shared with her.

_'I wonder if she's clinging onto Sonic right now?'_ he thought. _'I wonder if she'll succeed...'_

For some reason, that thought made his chest hurt as if someone lit the gunpowder and swept the flames inside. Was he sick?

"Prince Shadow, may I please join you?"

The new voice startled Shadow from his deep thoughts, but he didn't show it. He merely nodded. As the rabbit sat down beside him, he realized she was the same rabbit he saw with Amy yesterday. What was her name? Sugar? Beans? It had to do with something that was put into coffee...

As if she had read his mind, she spoke. "Allow me to formerly introduce myself. I am Cream from the House of Rabbits."

Ah...that was it. Cream, the young lady whose family owned the estate closest to the Palace. Even though her family visited the royal family often, he had never spoken to her. Most likely, they had never interacted with each other until today.

Glancing at her again, he realized that she was fidgeting. "Is there something you'd like to ask me? If so, hurry up and say it."

"Ah..." Cream was about to answer when they heard voices approaching.

The particular thing about these voices were that they were familiar and had names: Sonic and Amy. Immediately, Shadow grabbed Cream and forced her to hide behind the tall hedges behind them. They stayed silently hidden until the voices faded. As soon as the coast was clear, Shadow let out a sigh. Then became annoyed as he realized he had been holding his breath. Cream watched Shadow's poker face for any sign of emotion, but couldn't find any. To her, Shadow was a mystery that couldn't be solved. Still, the fact that he hid from Amy was unusual.

"Prince Shadow, what is your relationship with Amy?" Cream finally asked.

Shadow remained silent. staring at rose bush a few feet away.

"Do you like her?" Cream asked when an answer was not given.

This must have triggered something within Shadow because in the next moment, he was gone. Cream wondered if that was a 'yes' or a 'no'.

"Lady Cream! Lady Cream!" Knuckles' shouts rang across the garden.

Cream looked up and realized that the sun was setting. In one hour, the ball would begin. And she hadn't even taken a bath yet!

"Oh! I'm coming!" Cream shouted back, getting up and running inside.

By the palace walls where the sunlight did not touch, Shadow watched as the double doors shut. '_Why did I run away just now?'_

Meanwhile, Amy was standing on a small platform in her room, letting her personal maids put on the finishing touches. As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, she caught sight of something.

"Lilli." Amy whispered. One of the maids, a silver cat, looked up. "Look." Amy turned around so that her bare back was exposed to the mirror. The color was just slightly darker from her fur, but the curly tattoo design was clearly a pair of incomplete wings.

"Another feather appeared." Amy breathed. "That's what I get for saving lives..."

Lilli refused to reply and the other maids remained silent as well. They knew that Amy's secret was something they couldn't help her with. Instead, Lilli decided to fetch Amy's shawl. "Would you like the white one or the light blue one, milady?"

Amy glanced down at her dress. It was spring green with white lace gracing it in a way that made the whole thing seem like a gentle snowfall over a sunny meadow. It was one of her most favorite dresses because it made her feel beautiful, but today, it looked a funeral. The silver and emeralds she wore around her neck and arms didn't help. "Neither."

Lilli startled. Amy _always_ covered up the wings when she went out. "Milady?"

"I'm going to be late." Amy mumbled, walking towards the door. Lilli stared after her, confused. Right before the door closed, Amy looked back into the room. "Pack the essentials, Lilli. Whatever happens tonight, we won't be returning to this room."

This caught all the maids' attentions, but before they could ask why, the door had already closed.

When Amy entered the ballroom, almost everyone was already there. She found Sonic alone by the food. '_Okay, Amy. Just smile and flirt. Smile and flirt._'

However, just as she was about to reach Sonic, Sally pounced in front and asked him to dance with her.

"Sonic! Let's go dancing! Please!" Sally begged.

If Sonic was about to decline, he didn't get the chance because Sally had already dragged him out onto the floor. Amy huffed and crossed her arms angrily. After three dances, it was clear that Sally wasn't about to let Sonic go. This made Amy want to flip a table.

Just as she was about to really flip a table, Shadow appeared by her side. "Amy."

"What?" Amy snapped.

"I thought you said you will win. What's that squirrel doing dancing with Sonic three songs in a row?" Shadow whispered fiercely.

"You tell me!" Amy whispered back. "I can't even get close!"

Shadow's eyes narrowed in thought. Suddenly, he swept in front of Amy and offered his hand. "Lady Rose, would you do me the honor of dancing with you?" Amy stared at his hand suspiciously. "Trust me." Shadow whispered.

At the sound of his velvet voice, she looked into his eyes and as if in a trance, let him lead her out onto the floor.

The music cascaded into a fast tango just as they faced each other to dance. As Shadow wrapped one arm around her back and took her hand in the other, Amy snapped out of it. Hesitantly, she put her free arm around his neck. Then the song began.

Side by side, in sync, they made their way towards the middle of the floor where Sally and Sonic danced.

'So, what's your plan?' emerald eyes asked.

'Working on it...' rubies answered. 'Just focus on dancing for now.'

Shadow dipped Amy in a semi-circle slowly before pulling her close. Pink fur brushed against black ones as they held each other tightly, entangling their legs together as they went through the next few rapid steps. He dipped her once more before spinning her out. When she span back in, she jumped a little so that she straddle Shadow for a moment as she span back out on the other side. They repeated the move until she was finally back in his arms, burrowing her muzzle into his white chest fur. The steady rhythm of the drums beat into their hearts until they couldn't tell whose heartbeats were whose. Shadow's hand travelled down until they rested on Amy's waist. His eyes were slightly closed and he buried his face into her quills, drinking in her scent. She could almost taste the heat of his breath. Then, he brought his lips closer to her ears, so close that she could almost _feel_ the desire he contained within himself.

"Now." Shadow whispered.

The song went through another rapid phase and Shadow span Amy right into Sonic's arms and snatched away Sally in the same moment.

"Amy!" Sonic said, startled.

"Sonic." Amy said, breathlessly. She could feel the heat burning on her cheeks and knew that she was blushing. But whether it was because of Shadow or Sonic, she didn't really know. "You've been neglecting me."

"I-I'm sorry!" Sonic stammered. After a few steps, he spoke again. "I'm sorry." This time, it wasn't for neglecting her and Amy knew it.

She sighed. "You've chosen Sally already."

"No, not me." Sonic sighed, too. "My father. He doesn't want me to choose you."

This shocked Amy. "What?"

"Please don't be mad! I'm sure he has good reason not to choose you as my bride."

Sonic continued to gush out explanations, but Amy had tuned him out. A roaring inferno was raging inside her and she couldn't help walking stiffly away as the song ended.

She was about to storm out when the King's voice rang, loud and clear.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let us take a moment to congratulate my son, Prince Sonic, on his engagement to the lovely Lady Acorn!" the King announced.

That did it. She had failed.

_'No!'_ she thought angrily. _'This is not over! I refuse to admit surrender!'_

Spinning on her heel, she turned back towards the King, took a knife off some random table, and threw it. The knife flew straight for the King, but narrowly missed its target- his heart. Women screamed and some even fainted, but Amy paid them no mind as she cursed herself. The knights drew their spears, pointing at Amy threateningly. For a moment, she looked lost and ready to surrender, but then she laughed bitterly.

"You think you can threaten me?" Amy challenged. "Go ahead. I don't care. You will be dying soon enough anyways."

As if she had called to them (and she hadn't), the monsters from the last party burst through the tall windows.

People screamed:

"Monsters! Run away!"

"Save yourselves!"

"I just fixed those windows, dang it!"

As the monsters began their slaughter, one clear voice rang through the chaos.

"Amy, drive them away!" Sonic commanded.

Amy turned to see Sonic struggling to keep one at bay, using his sword as a shield to protect Sally. Normally, she would have saved him. He was the ticket to becoming Queen after all. But now that he was no longer useful, she could see him as nothing more than a fish among an ocean of fish.

When Shadow heard Sonic's command, he turned to Amy. Her usually brilliant emeralds were flat and dull as if they were shattered into dust. His heart jumped to her. As quickly as he could, he made his way towards her, slashing anything that got in his way. Finally, he reached her and roughly took her arms.

"Let's go!" he rasped.

There was no response from the pink hedgehog, but she let him drag her away. The moment they entered the main hallway, the entrance on the other side slammed opened. The monsters had found a new way to enter. Gritting his teeth, Shadow turned around and found that he and Amy were surrounded. He glared at a specific beast, but it never looked him in the eyes. Shadow's eyes darted around and found that none of the beasts were focused on him.

They were all staring at Amy.

In a sudden tidal wave of emotion, Shadow pushed Amy behind him and stood protectively in between the beasts and her. "Bring it on!" Shadow muttered darkly.

Then they all lunged at once. Towards the two hedgehogs. Like a thunderstorm of smoky scales and flashing blue eyes.

* * *

**Well? Was it good as I promised it would be? BTW: sorry for slow updates... I'm kinda lazy XD**


	5. Step 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Black blood was smeared over her skin, spattered on her hair, and loose scales hit her like tossed coins. The beasts were everywhere, but so far, she hadn't been touched. She blinked slowly as she continued to watch Shadow fight. He was certainly very skilled in combat, but he would lose either way. Didn't he know those beasts can only die by the Golden Hammer? Didn't he know he was safe as long as he stayed away from her? Why was he protecting her in the first place?

Suddenly, just as Shadow cut away one of the beasts, another managed to land a serious blow on him. Shadow didn't cry out nor did he stop fighting. When his blood entered Amy's vision, she startled awake.

"Sh-Shadow!" Amy cried out.

Shadow glanced behind him and stared into her emerald eyes. "Don't worry. I promise I'll protect you." he swore.

"Don't be an idiot!" Amy said as she summoned her hammer. Fiercely glaring at the one who hurt Shadow, she readied herself for battle. "You're going down, mutt."

Amy hurled herself right into the pack and began the execution. To Shadow, it was like watching fireworks, except there wasn't any blue or purple. Just pink and gold.

In a matter of a few minutes, the hallway was clear once more.

Amy ran back to Shadow's side. "Are you okay? Where are you hurt?" she frantically asked, trying to pinpoint the exact location. But it was nearly impossible the way the blood was everywhere. She grew more and more anxious, but Shadow was strangely calm.

Before Shadow could answer, the two hedgehogs heard the sounds of guards coming towards them.

Shadow grabbed Amy's hand and led her towards the door, but she jerked away.

"Shadow, you need help. You aren't fit to travel." Amy said.

"I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about! If those guards catch us, you'll be a goner!"

"Us?"

"Us. You and me. We're in this together Amy." Shadow gently murmured. "I'll be with you every step of the way."

The guards burst into the hall, yelling Amy's name.

Amy hesitated. She wanted Shadow to stay and get medical help. She could easily out run the guards by herself. Amy's heart beat painfully. _But I don't want to leave his side. _she thought. _And I think that just maybe, he doesn't want to leave me either._ Amy felt pleased and confused at the same time.

"You need to stay." she choked out.

Shadow frowned and rolled his eyes. Grabbing her hand again, he raced out of the Palace. And this time, Amy didn't reject his touch.

(After some time...)

Amy blinked open her eyes as the sunlight danced around her. She stared at the blue sky and wondered what time it was and why she was even outside. When she tried to move she found herself trapped.

_'...What?'_ Amy thought.

Slowly, different things came into view. First, the rocky brown walls around her formed a cave in which she must have fallen asleep. Then came the small railroad tracks that led further into the cave appeared a few feet away. Then the soft white fur which she used as a pillow. And finally, Shadow in all his peaceful black with red-streaked quills. Amy blushed as she remembered stumbling into the cave with Shadow after successfully running away from the guards. Then she thought of Shadow's injury and broke out of Shadow's arms, causing him to wake up. She skimmed her hands up and down his body, searching for the large gash.

"Mmm...Amy?" Shadow mumbled.

"Shadow." Amy stopped touching and stared at him instead. "How are you feeling?"

Shadow turned his sleepy rubies to her and smirked. "Enough to be hungry."

"Well, great! You can come to our place to eat!"

Shadow and Amy turned towards the new voice and startled. Gil, Phil, and Tom stood at the entrance with pickaxes in their hands and an empty wagon ready to be used.

"Hey!" Amy greeted the trio. "Nice to see you again!"

"Nice to see you too, Amy. Though I didn't think that when you promised to visit, it would be to hide from the entire kingdom." Gil joked.

"Everyone's been talking about it! They say you tried to assassinate the King all by yourself and that you stole Prince Shadow away." Phil said. Then upon seeing Shadow, he added, "Um, I'm guessing the rumors are partly true."

"A little..." Amy said.

"How could I be stolen?" Shadow scoffed. "Someone obviously doesn't know who they're talking about."

Phil chuckled. "We have ourselves one moody prince."

This made Shadow a little angry. "What do you mean-" he started, but was cut off as a sharp flash of pain went through his body when he tried to get up.

"Shadow?" Amy startled. "Shadow, where does it hurt? Shadow?"

The birds quickly dropped their pickaxes and rushed to his side.

"I'm f-fine." Shadow grunted. "Just a small cut, that's all."

Tom did a quick check of Shadow's injuries and frowned. "Let's get you fixed right up at home. Gil, Phil. Take his arms. Let's go!"

(At the trio's house...)

Amy closed the door and sighed. After being treated with antibiotics and such, Shadow was finally sleeping peacefully. She looked up and took in the cozy cabin. It was surprisingly neat and clean. With the way the birds were, Amy didn't think that they would do much housework.

"You guys really keep your place clean!" Amy commented.

"Thank you! Someone finally appreciates my effort!" Tom exclaimed. "Told you it was necessary." he muttered to Phil and Gil.

In response, Gil dumped an empty wooden bowl on Tom's head. "Whatever."

Amy giggled softly to herself. "So what were you guys at the cave for?"

"Oh, that's our spot. We're miners. All three of us. That cave is the place our boss chose for us to work on for the next couple of years." Phil explained. "You see that ruby over there?" Amy looked at the uncut ruby on the living room table. "That's usually something we dig up, but sometimes, we find emeralds, too."

Amy nodded. "Where are we exactly?"

"On the outskirts of the city. Right by the border of the Venus Mountains."

Amy blinked slowly. _'Venus Mountains...That's where Olive Falls is. Great. It seems fate is harder to change than I thought.'_

"You know, Olive Falls is just a few miles from here." Tom said. "Legend has it, it's the place of healing, but only an angel can use its powers."

"Oh, it heals alright. You just need to have a sacrifice." Amy muttered under her breath.

"Did you say something, Amy?"

"Ah, nothing!" Amy laughed. "So what do you have around here that I can eat?"

(Again, after some time later...)

The sunset reflected on the pond was beautiful. Amy knew that if she just turned around and looked up, she would see that same sun dipping into the mountains on the horizon. As Amy let the cool grass tickle her palms, she heard a door open and close a few feet behind her.

Shadow plopped down right beside Amy and sighed. "You're facing the wrong way, you know."

Amy smiled sadly. "Yeah. I know."

Shadow glanced at Amy from the corner of his eyes. The setting sun had set her pink quills ablaze, making them look almost red, and the pond was shimmering in her emerald eyes beautifully. She was breathtaking and for a moment, all Shadow wanted to do was hug her. Not just because she was so beautiful, but because of the way she felt. Shadow could sense her unhappiness and lack of energy as if her feelings were his own.

"So." Shadow said. "Why did you want to become Queen?"

Amy shook her head, setting her quills bouncing off her shoulders.

"Did you really love Sonic?" he asked.

"...No. Not really. Maybe once, but that's in the past now." Amy sighed. "The reason I wanted to become Queen was...because...well..." Amy shook her head again. "It's complicated."

"Tell me." Shadow urged. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone else."

Amy glanced at Shadow and smiled. "I know you won't, but it's not really a secret."

There was a moment of silence as the hedgehogs stared at each other's reflection on the pond.

"Only a few people remember the real legend." Amy said.

"Legend?"

"Yeah. About the Golden One and her weapon. Those beasts that attacked us are called Death Hounds because they were first sent into our world by the Devil to kill. The Heavens heard the mortals' pleas, so they sent down a weapon crafted by angels-the Golden Weapon that can disintegrate the Death Hounds. However, whoever wields the weapon is burdened with a limited lifespan." Amy turned around so that Shadow could see the incomplete wings tattoo. "Every time the weapon is used, a feather appears."

"What happens when the wings are complete?" Shadow breathed, reaching a hand out to touch her back.

"I die."

Shadow's hand rested lightly on the tattoo. "Can't you do anything to avoid it?" His eyebrows furrowed together. "You just fight those things all you life and then die?"

"Not exactly. When the Golden One dies, she must be by Olive Falls. That's how the land gets purified and the Death Hounds are vanished back to Hell for another century." she explained. "My last breath of life will fall with my body down Olive Fall and my soul will rise to Heaven to join the past Golden Ones in eternal peace. My death is the key to unlock Olive Fall's healing powers."

"...That's stupid!" Shadow shouted. "You're going to die for people who tried to throw you in jail? Who ridiculed you just for being cursed like that?"

"Of course not!" Amy shouted back, jumping to her feet. "That's why I wanted to become Queen. So that I can change my fate! But now I have nothing left."

"So you _are_ going to sacrifice yourself for those idiots?"

Amy glared down at Shadow. "No." she spat. Then her eyes softened and her body relaxed sadly. "But I just might do it for you, Shadow." He stared at her, unable to speak. "Maybe even for Cream and Rouge and- and Knuckles. For Gil, Phil, and Tom. I would sacrifice myself for the people I love."

Amy walked away and still, Shadow was unable to speak. When the door slammed closed, he collapsed onto the grass. He blinked up at the sky for a bit and then rolled over so that he was staring at the spot where Amy was sitting a few minutes ago. "Ugh." He covered his face in embarrassment as he felt a blush creeping onto his face.

"I think I love you, too, Amy Rose."

* * *

**Thank you for waiting! And to those who are reading my story and like it, please review! It really makes me feel like putting time into this story is worth it! To those of you have reviewed, especially the two who has reviewed every chapter so far (you know who you are), thank you sooo much! I can't express how happy it makes me to read them!**

**Thank you for reading and I hope that you will continue to like it!**


	6. Step 6

**CHAPTER 6**

The sunlight was bright and the sheep were too close. Basically, Amy was really hot. All she wanted to do was to just be alone. Somewhere preferably cool. Without sheep...

"Stupid sheep! Quit bugging me with your fluffiness!" Amy screamed.

Phil and Gil chuckled as Amy started shoving the sheep out of her way.

"Sixteen..." Tom counted.

Yeah. This was the sixteenth time Amy did this. Shadow had been counting, too. For some reason, the sheep wouldn't leave her alone as they travelled through the fields. Shadow glanced back at Amy and chuckled as she sent a poor sheep flying. (Don't worry. It wasn't hurt, because it ran back to Amy's side as soon as it landed.)

Tom glanced at Shadow. "So, Prince. What's your reason for tagging along?"

There was a suggestive hint in his tone and Shadow knew what the real question being asked was: _'What is your relationship with her?'_

Shadow frowned slightly, stared into Tom's eyes for a bit, and walked ahead.

"Well, isn't he the charmer." Phil grinned.

"Who is?" Amy had finally caught up and was now trying to disentangle a little lamb from her leg. "And what's wrong with these sheep? I mean, seriously! Are they trying to kill me?"

"I don't think the sheep are trying to kill you, Amy." Phil said. "They just really love you."

Amy blinked down at the young lamb on her leg. "...I hate sheep." Amy mumbled.

Then she looked up and caught Shadow's eyes. They both blushed and turned away quickly, but the trio saw it and they grinned slyly at one another.

Phil draped his arms over Amy. "Congratulations, Amy! You found yourself a winner!"

"W-What are you talking about?" Amy stammered.

"You know. Your love life?" Gil snickered.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Amy said haughtily.

"Oh? Then why are you blushing so red for?" Gil asked with a huge grin on his face.

Luckily, Amy was saved by Shadow.

"I think this is where we say good-bye." Shadow said.

They had arrived at the border between cities after travelling all morning. Phil, Gil, and Tom looked like they were about to cry.

"We'll miss you Amy!" they cried, throwing themselves on her in a big hug.

"Hey, hey, hey! Are you guys birds or sheep? I'm sure we'll see each other again." Amy said, looking teary herself.

The birds released her from their grasp and looked at her with puppy eyes. "Promise?"

Amy smiled. "Promise."

The entire time, Shadow was staring at the horizon ahead, listening to Amy's voice. When she said 'Promise', it almost sounded like a lie. As if she was holding something back. It was kind of suspicious...

(At night)

Amy silently slipped out of bed and into the moonlight outside. Time was running out. With more than a few years of running away scared, she had allowed the Death Hounds to gather number and strength. At most, she had only tonight and tomorrow night before she had to go to Olive Falls. She turned back around to look at the quaint little inn she and Shadow were staying for the night.

_'Know that I have already decided.' _Amy thought. _'Shadow, I really need to thank you one day. Because of you, I found my light again.'_

Then, Amy disappeared into the night like a ghost.

(Morning)

Shadow woke up feeling groggy. He was still recovering from his wound, but it wasn't as bad now. Still, he absentmindedly ran his right hand across his torso. It was pretty large and would scar him for life, but he wasn't a girl and his fur pretty much hid it anyways.

After breakfast, he realized he hadn't seen Amy yet. When he asked the inn keeper, she said that she hadn't seen the girl. Shadow had already checked her room and she wasn't there.

_'Where did you go, Amy?' _Shadow thought to himself. Then suddenly, he had this sinking feeling that she was in danger.

Ears twitching, eyes glaring, Shadow raced around the small town they were in, looking for Amy. Eventually, just as he was about to suffer from a panic attack, he saw her by a river.

"Amy!" Shadow called to her, relieved beyond words, but then he smelled the blood and panicked again. "Amy?"

Amy turned her head to see Shadow approaching. "Shadow!"

"What happened?" Shadow demanded.

Her ears were a little torn and her fur and quills were roughed up as if she had been running through a jungle. She didn't look like she was hurt or bleeding anywhere, but the scent of blood was obvious. Amy was smiling that beautiful smile of hers, but he knew without a doubt that she had been fighting. Fairly recently.

As Amy stared into Shadow's ruby eyes, her smiled collapsed. "Don't ask." she whispered. "Please."

Shadow opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it. She would tell him when she wanted to. Wouldn't she?

Wordlessly, Shadow held out his hand for Amy and she took it, her smile returning to her face.

The day went by quickly. Mainly, it was because of how much fun the two hedgehogs had. When you're in love, it happens. They did nothing special since neither one had much money. In fact, they did all sorts of odd jobs all day, but they did them together so it was a lot of fun. By the end of the day, they had earned enough money to eat a large meal at an actual restaurant.

The place they went to was a locally well-known place called The Sheep.

They had just taken one step into the place and Shadow was already laughing. The look on Amy's face was _priceless_. Sheep were everywhere. Real sheep, people in sheep costumes, and even the decorations were all sheep-related.

Shadow and Amy took a seat near the entrance.

"Hello, my name is Gloria and I will be your server today. Have you already decided what you are going to have?" a blue fox dressed as a pink sheep asked.

"Yes, I would like that little lamb over there." Amy growled. "Medium rare."

Shadow chuckled as Gloria froze.

"Oh!" Gloria exclaimed. "Well, is there anything else you'd like?"

"Your best dish!" Shadow ordered.

"Coming right up!" Gloria said.

As they ate, Shadow and Amy joked about things and talked about their past. The entire time, they stared into each others' eyes, but neither one of them uttered anything remotely related to love.

Then, the surprise came.

"Your total is $213.58." the cashier said.

Amy and Shadow's mouths dropped.

"W-What?" Amy exclaimed. "How did _that_ number come up?"

"Well, sheep are expensive ma'am. Especially lambs this time of year!" the cashier answered.

"What are you talking about?" Amy demanded just as Gloria came over with the same lamb Amy had 'ordered'.

"Don't forget your lamb! I tied our 'medium rare' colored ribbon on her just as you asked for!" Gloria said with a smile.

Amy's eye twitched. _'This can't be happening to me...'_

"It can't be helped." Shadow sighed and paid the amount, practically spending all their hard earned money.

"Shadow?" Amy exclaimed.

Shadow picked up the lamb and walked out. "Let's go, Amy. It's almost nighttime."

Flustered, Amy ran after Shadow as Gloria and the cashier waved good-bye.

"Shadow! Why'd you take the sheep for? Now we don't have enough money to rent a room!"

Shadow remained silent the entire walk out of the town and into another stretch of fields in which sheep grazed. After a while, Shadow finally set down the lamb and lied down beside it. Amy stared at him confused before sitting down between the lamb and Shadow.

The silence continued as they both watched the sunset fall slowly. Shadow peeked at Amy and saw that she was petting her new lamb tenderly.

"I thought you hate sheep?" Shadow chuckled.

Amy blushed. "I don't mind Tula."

"Oh, so you named the lamb, too!" Shadow's grin widened as Amy's blush grew redder.

"So what if I did?" she challenged.

Shadow faced her and smiled gently, making Amy's heart speed up erratically. He then reached across Amy slowly and pet Tula, too.

"Nice to meet you, Tula." he whispered, never breaking eye contact with Amy.

Emeralds embraced rubies until the last light of day vanished and the sky was filled with twinkling stars. They went to sleep there. With Shadow facing Amy and with Amy cuddled next to Tula in a new found friendship.

However, the peaceful picture did not last long. The moment Amy could hear Shadow's deep breathing, she awoke and got up. She only took three steps away when she heard a small bleating sound coming from behind her. It was Tula, ready to follow Amy wherever she was going. Amy crouched down and held out her hand to pet Tula.

"Silly Tula. You can't come with me. You have to stay here and keep Shadow company. Okay?" Amy whispered. Tula bleat again, crying out to Amy as if Amy was her mother. "Shh. Don't wake up Shadow. I love you, you silly Tula lamb."

Then Amy disappeared into the night once again.

(Morning...again)

Shadow woke up to the sounds of Tula's bleating. "Tula?" Shadow rubbed his eyes and looked around. "Where's Amy?"

Tula hopped away a little, bleated at Shadow to follow, and pranced down the hillside. Struggling to completely wake up, Shadow followed. Tula led Shadow into the mountains, far away from the town they were in just yesterday. Watching Tula, Shadow couldn't help wondering if Tula was part dog and mountain goat as well as being a sheep, because the way she tracked down Amy and hopped from rock to rock was abnormal for a sheep. As the day passed more and more, Tula became more desperate for Shadow to hurry.

The moment Shadow managed to successfully climb up the side of a mountain, he saw a horrifying scene. Piles of ashes and partly disintegrated Death Hounds covered the land, hiding the fresh grass sprouts underneath. The rank smell of blood filled the air, turning the sky redder each passing minute. Where was Amy? What happened here?

"Baahh!"

Shadow turned to see Tula racing up a small, stone walkway and disappear behind some wild plants. Stepping over the dead bodies, he followed. The leaves parted easily and revealed a spectacular view of the world. Shadow slowly approached the edge of the cliff as he took in the scenery. A plain that stretched on for miles like the ocean lay below, just past the forest at the foot of the mountain, and the sky was painted golden. It was beautiful.

"Baahh!"

"Shadow..."

Shadow turned at the sound of his name being called, but as soon as he saw Amy, any lightness in his heart vanished. She was a mess: tattered clothes, bleeding wounds, and a limp. Amy dragged the hammer with her right arm as she clung to it with her left arm. And this entire time, she was shedding feathers. No. Not shedding. Certainly, feathers fell from her, but it was as if she was growing them.

"Amy? What-?" Shadow started.

"I'm dying Shadow." Amy whispered. "It's time. I need to go save the world." Amy laughed bitterly. "As if the world cares."

"I care." Shadow insisted. "And I want you to stay. Please. Don't go."

Amy turned around so that her back was facing him. The wings were complete.

"You- You've been sneaking off behind my back." Shadow accused. "To fight those monsters."

Amy nodded. "So you see. My time is up, Shadow."

Suddenly, the sky became blood red and dark, storm clouds gathered over the plain. Blue lightning struck the ground and opened up a fissure on the earth from which an army of Death Hounds emerged. It was like staring at a horror scene come to life in front of them. Then, out of all things, it started to rain- it poured and thundered, threatening to destroy all life.

A stream of angelic light poured down, touched Amy, and flowed over the cliff. It was the Olive Falls, brimming with energy as the key prepared to unlock its true power. Amy approached the edge and Shadow attempted to grab her hands. Instead, his hand passed through her. Right before she jumped, Amy looked back at Shadow.

"I love you, Shadow."

Then she fell.

Shadow ran to the edge and called her name. He kept calling as her body turned into a flock of doves that drew the Death Hounds back into the fissure and closed off the entrance just as all the other Golden Ones have done before. Then with a flash of green light- so quick that you would have missed it if you blinked- it was over. As if it never happened. As if Amy never existed.

Shadow felt the hot tears on his cheek, but he didn't wipe them away.

_'Amy, Amy, Amy. Why did you have to go? Because the world needed to be saved? Those sinners didn't even know you. You didn't have to end your life for them.' _ Shadow mourned. He buried his face in his hands as he collapsed onto his knees. Then a new thought struck him- a dark feeling that burned and screamed- a horrible madness. _'No. Her soul doesn't belong to Heaven. The Heavens used her as a tool! Just like the people on this Earth! I'm getting you back, Amy. No matter what. You will live again!'_

Shadow lifted his head from his hands just enough to glare at the cosmos above him. The raging temper in his heart burned him, but he welcomed it. Power. He needed power.

With Tula following close behind, Shadow stalked off into the darkness, leaving sparks of embers behind.

* * *

**...Sorry. I killed Amy. I'm a murderer! DX**

**But it's okay! Because Shadow's going to bring her back to life! Right? RIGHT? (Tula probably knows)**

**Wll, the story isn't over yet! A lot can still happen, so please continue reading.**

**The real story has just begun...**


	7. Step 7

**CHAPTER 7**

It has been three months since she left. Three months of never ending sins. When he closed his eyes he could still hear their screams, their pleas.

**FLASHBACK**

_"Shadow, please! I'm your father! Please, spare me." King Williams begged. He was on his knees with tears streaming down his cheeks and onto the carpeted floor._

_Shadow remained silent, just staring down coldly at the scared older hedgehog in front of him. The Throne Room was a mess. Dead guards lay in pieces, littering the floor with dismembered body parts and staining it with their blood. Red blood. Red rug. Red eyes. Shadow had waited for this moment. Perhaps he had waited since the moment he knew what the King had done to his poor mother. Or maybe it was something else. Either way, King Williams would no longer be a king. Nor would Williams see the sunrise ever again._

_Shadow lifted his sword until it rested on his father's chest. Then he stabbed it. The kill was quick and easy- a clean cut through the heart. No good-byes and no mercy. As the body fell, Shadow went over to the throne and sat in it. As if he was bored, he put his head on his hand and stared at the double doors._

_He glanced down at his father. He was dead. Finally. But his heart was still empty- cold like an Ice Age, freezing the land around it as well- dark and full of loathing._

**END**

"Your Majesty?" a timid voice called out to him, bringing him back to the present.

It was Cream the Rabbit, probably here to bomb him with questions again. He looked at her briefly, giving her permission to speak, and then looked away. He had to get his mind out of the gutter. He had killed his father weeks ago and since that time, he had killed more important people, such as the other kings and even all of the members of the Council whom helped keep the kingdoms in peace with each other. Yes, within three months, Shadow had taken over the entire land.

_'But that isn't enough...' _he thought darkly.

"Shadow, I know it hurts, but murdering others isn't going to change the fact that Amy is gone." Rouge said, coming up to stand beside Cream. "She's dead. You've got to move on."

"Please, King Shadow. Don't kill anymore. You're scaring me and all your subjects." Cream pleaded.

Shadow got up slowly from his throne and the two females backed up quickly. "It's night. I'm going out. Remember, unless you want to die, don't leave this castle." he said.

Shadow stormed out of the Throne Room and out into the gardens where he saw Tula munching on some onions.

For a moment, he thought he saw Amy sitting there with her, laughing and smiling, but the image disappeared as quickly as it came. He stopped for a moment as his heart thudded against his chest. Pain. But it was quickly filled with vengeance.

He ran through the gates and past all the closed doors with red roses painted above them. It was a sign of submission to him and for it, he awarded them one more night of life- another chance to see the sun. Those with unpainted doors, however, gained an unpleasant visit and a ticket to death.

Locals and citizens were easy to kill. They hardly had any real weapons to defend themselves with. The real fun was within other kingdoms- some of the forts continued to resist, thinking that there was a hope in recovering their kingdom again. After all, how hard could it be to kill a single, crazed hedgehog- one murderer?

Shadow chuckled darkly at the idea. Yes. It was pretty surprising no one had succeeded in killing him yet. What they didn't know was that he couldn't be killed. Not yet. He was on a tight schedule and their deaths and his life was required for the moment.

_'One hundred thousand.'_ Shadow could see the number in his head clearly.

One hundred thousand. One hundred thousand. One hundred thousand lives for a meeting with the Satan himself. That was his goal.

"Up there! By the shadows!" someone shouted.

Shadow looked down mercilessly with the eyes of a killer. His rubies burned into the minds of the resistance and they knew. They were going to die tonight.

"Augh!" One down.

"How is he moving so fast? Move, move, move!" "Get into formation!" "Back to back!"

Shadow paid no mind to their silly tactics. They were all going to die anyways.

To those that continued to resist and fight, they were living a nightmare. The screams of agony from fellow comrades rang in their ears. Sweat dampened their brows. The smell of blood filled their air, chocking them down with the aura of death. The moment they saw red orbs, their lives were over. Swift and agile. That was what their haunter was. A grim reaper born from the ashes of those Death Hounds. Yes, this particular group- at least this particular guard- knew the real legend and wondered fearfully why the demons continued to haunt the land. Didn't the Golden One purify the land? He had seen the flash of bluish green. Was it a trick of the light? His eyes flew from shadow to shadow. Then, his partner whose back was pressed against his fell, the blood spilling onto the stone ground. Dropping his weapon, he began to pray.

"Heavens, I bow to you and beg for my life. Let me see the sun again. By the Golden One's will, let me live! I repent my sins! So please-!" His eyes were closed and his hands were clasped together in prayer.

When all was quiet, he hesitantly opened his eyes. There was the dawn, rising in the distance. He sighed in relief, but then he looked all around him and saw his dead companions. Tears glistened in his eyes like a dew drop. He felt sick to his stomach.

Shadow approached the man, dragging his sword so that it screeched and protested against the stone. Small sparks flew from the contact like little fireworks. The lone soldier could not bring up the courage to look into Shadow's eyes- the bloody eyes of rage.

"There, you've got your wish. You saw the sun again. Now, in return, you must give me my wish." Shadow said, his deadly voice wrapping around the soldier's mind.

"Y-Your wish?"

Shadow used the tip of his blade to raise the soldier's face towards his, but the soldier still wouldn't look at those ruby eyes. "When I send you to Hell, you must give Satan my invitation. Tell him that I want to see him. Got it?"

"W-Why w-w-would you want Satan's attention?"

Shadow pushed the tip of his sword just enough not to break skin. "Isn't it obvious? I want to reverse death."

That's when the soldier finally looked up and that's when Shadow finally killed him.

"One hundred thousand souls. It has been completed." Shadow announced to no one.

Then he turned around, got on his horse, and rode back to the Palace.

(At the Palace)

Shadow had gathered his chosen ones: Rouge. Knuckles. Cream. Cream's fiancé, Tails.

"It is time that you left this land. I've protected you from destruction for as long as I could because you guys are Amy's friends." Shadow said. "But now you must go. Now. Far from here."

"What? Shadow! What are you saying?" Rouge protested.

Shadow didn't reply. He merely walked away.

Rouge tried to go after him, but Knuckles pulled her back. Rouge started crying and she didn't know why.

"Let's go, Miss Rouge. I think we should leave." Cream said gently. "Come now. You two, Mr. Miles."

The four left, confused and a little heart-broken.

Shadow, on the other hand, went down to the dungeon- far down, where light didn't exist and the air was damp. He could hear the rats squeaking, wandering to and fro.

"That's it, Shadow. Come to me. You wanted to see me, right? Then, come." the dark voice thundered, echoing into every crevice and corner.

Out of nowhere, a portal opened. Dark and mysterious. It wasn't like those swirly, green things you sometimes see in games. It was as black as a storm, dripping with smoke and pulling Shadow towards it as if it was a black hole. He sighed. This was it.

Shadow stepped into the doorway to Hell and closed his eyes.

**FLASHBACK**

_"You won't get away with this Shadow! I won't let you." Sonic shouted._

_Shadow had been walking away, but he stopped and turned around. Sonic sat in his castle, a gift from King Williams for the crown prince and his wife, holding Sally close to his heart. He was crying, even though he knew he shouldn't._

_"Oh, please, Sonic. Be a real male hedgehog and stop crying. You should be rejoicing!" Shadow said. "I didn't kill her or you. Be glad of your chance to live."_

_Shadow turned away again._

_"Is this because of what happened to Amy?" Sonic shouted again._

_Shadow stopped._

_"She's gone, Shadow. Move on. You can't bring the dead back to life."_

_Shadow turned around fiercely, his eyes blazing. Sonic could see a black aura around him. It was as if Shadow was possessed by a monster- a desperate beast needing some sort of guidance- a light to blaze its path. "Don't tell me that."_

_"Well, it's true! Dead people stay dead!"_

_Shadow gripped Sonic's collar and brought his head close to his. "Don't. Say. It."_

**End**

Shadow opened his eyes and found himself face to face with Satan himself. The demon grinned cruelly at him as if he saw life and death as a game. The scary thing was, he most likely did. Satan held up a little voodoo doll that resembled Shadow and grinned even bigger.

"You want to make a deal with me?"

Shadow nodded.

"I am the King of Demons. The terror of the living. And you want to make a deal with me?" he laughed. "Why should I make a deal with you? For all the sins you've committed, if I kill you right here and now, your soul will be mine. So why should I make a deal with you when you are already mine?"

"If you kill me, then I will become nothing more than a slave. I have killed one hundred thousand souls and took over an entire land within three months. I have skills that you might find useful. Skills that will be wasted on slave work if you kill me."

Satan bared his teeth in what could be a smile.

"You have confidence. No, you have vengeance. A dark heart... Interesting. It seems to be directed at the Heavens. May I inquire why?"

"They used her. The Heavens used Amy for their own selfish demands. I want her back."

"Resurrection would be easy if she was in my realm. The Golden Ones are welcomed into Heaven, a place I am banned from."

"Baahh!"

Shadow turned around to see Tula.

"Tula! I'm busy here!" Shadow grunted in frustration. "How'd you get here anyways?"

Satan turned his eyes towards the young sheep.

"She will do...If we make this pact, of course." Satan chuckled.

"What?"

"An innocent little animal like that can enter Heaven easily. I will be able to manipulate the sheep just enough to bring Amy back...alive..." Satan clasped his hands together and leaned back on his black throne. Shadow was starting to sweat. There wasn't any fire visible, but he could feel them. "So here's the deal, Shadow the Hedgehog. You serve me for all eternity. Due my bidding. No questions asked. And I'll grant you immortality... as well as your precious lover. Deal?"

Shadow glanced at Tula. The little sheep batted her eyes at him. Innocent, pure, lovely with a full set of peachy skin and fluffy white wool. Her eyes seemed to say yes, make the deal. Let's have Amy back with us. Shadow slowly lifted his eyes to stare at the devil whose eyes were as black as the black fur on his back.

"Deal."

* * *

**Not much happened in this chapter...Who am I kidding? Shadow just sold his soul to Satan! Aaaahhh! (runs around like crazy) He really does love Amy... (cries) and poor Tula...she's being a sort of sacrifice, too.**

**So, how is it so far? The story I mean? **

**And thank you for all the reviews! It makes sooo happy to read them! I appreciated it! Thanks to all those reviews, I can keep on writing this story with confidence that people out there actually like it! THANK YOU! AND PLEASE, KEEP READING! XD XD XD**


	8. Step 8

**CHAPTER 8**

"Deal." Satan laughed.

He beckoned Tula forward, using his powers to keep her from running away, but it was unnecessary since she didn't try to run at all. It was as if she knew what was happening and was ready to bring Amy back.

Satan narrowed his eyes at her and grinned. "I like this little sheep. I think I'll bring her back too, once she completes her task."

Shadow remained silent the entire time Satan grabbed Tula by her throat and burned her to ashes.

"That's it?" Shadow asked.

"Give her a moment." Satan growled. "Sheesh!"

~~~~(Tula in Heaven)~~~~

"Baahh."

Tula was in a field of clouds, as white and fluffy as her wool, with a perpetual daylight overhead and the most perfect shade of blue for a sky. She called again into the seemingly empty world. That was when a golden gate appeared. Tall as the tallest tower and gleaming like the sun itself. Angels appeared from thin air and opened the gates, allowing Tula to enter Heaven.

"Welcome, little one. Come in, come in!" they whispered in their singsong voices. "You're safe with us. You're safe now."

If Tula could smile, she would have. The voices were so gentle and kind and the land was just beautiful. She wished she could stay here forever, but then a breeze blew over and a familiar scent drifted towards her.

Amy!

Tula pranced away towards the scent, but as soon as the breeze died, she lost it. She stopped and sniffed the air above her. It was gone completely. Disappointed, she looked around. Still nothing but clouds. So she continued onwards to who knows where.

Suddenly, a small village appeared with people in it. The older ones all had wings- clean, white feathered wings with a halo to match, but the younger ones were wingless. They laughed and played in the field between the buildings, their voices echoing. Everyone was smiling. Another breeze drifted by and Amy's scent returned. Determined not to lose it this time, Tula went off running.

The houses vanished as if they were never there and she was back in the clouds. All around her, the same things happened. One moment there was a house, the next moment, it was gone as if the structures existed in certain reflections- like little beams of light concentrated at a certain point that could only be seen at specific angles.

The breeze was starting to die out again and Tula pushed her little legs to run faster. Faster and faster she ran on the clouds... until she collided with a door.

"Baahh?" She shook her head and saw stars in her eyes.

The door opened and a group of people peeked out at Tula. They were astonishingly all beautiful with their gold flecked, angel wings and twinkling halos. Three rabbit females, one male hedgehog, seven cats, two females and five males, and one female bird. Each and every one of their pelts/fur/feathers were unusual colors. Then, Tula saw her. Amy was nestled in the arms of one of the female cats. She breathed raggedly and kept tossing and turning as if she was having a nightmare.

"Baahh!" Tula called out to Amy.

The moment Amy heard Tula, she woke up. Her large, emerald eyes blinked down at the little sheep. Then she stretched out her little arms and mumbled something. Tula scrambled to her feet and went to greet her. The moment they made contact, the air around them turned into a tornado, transporting them back to life. The older Golden Ones jumped and cried out in a panic. They tried to stop Tula and Amy, but it was too late. Strangely, Amy did not cry. Tula cried though. She kept "baahh-ing" the entire trip back into Hell.

(Back in Hell)

Shadow had been leaning on a pillar of carved bones, locked into a staring contest with Satan, but when Tula's ashes began to spin, he looked away.

"I win!" Satan congratulated himself as Amy and Tula formed into being from the ashes.

Shadow quickly got up and dove to catch Amy and Tula. In the end, he wound up on the floor with Amy in his hands and Tula on his back.

"Baahh!"

"Get off Tula! It's over now!" Shadow's shouts were muffled. Tula rolled off of Shadow just as he picked himself up. Folding his arms, he glared at Amy. "What's the meaning of this? This can't be Amy."

Amy looked up at Shadow and blinked.

"Of course it's Amy! Look at her!" Satan said gesturing to the pink hedgehog.

"This is a baby!" Shadow protested.

"You didn't specify any age!"

"Wha-? Does that mean I will be _babysitting _for the _rest of my life_?"

"No. For eternity!"

Shadow's face fell. _Seriously?_ But then Satan laughed.

"You should see your face! Haha! I was kidding!" Satan said. Shadow let out a sigh of relief. "You just have to babysit her until she grows up again."

"...What?"

"Don't you know? Anyone who goes to Heaven becomes immortal just like the ones who enter my world, but one of the differences between Heaven and Hell is that in Heaven, you re-start life as a baby." Satan started picking his teeth with a bone.

"Then how come Tula isn't a baby?"

At her name, Tula looked up from searching for food. "Baahh?"

"Dunno. Don't care." Satan shrugged off Shadow's question. "But don't worry. She'll be back to the age she died in sooner than you think. Now, I need you to go run a little errand for me. I have a sinner that has evaded death for far too long. I need you to kill him. Some brown cat in some town."

Shadow face-palmed his face. _'Wow. Such great information.'_ Amy was still staring up at him. Shadow looked at her through the space in between his fingers.

_'This can't be Amy...Well, she looks like Amy...but this is a kid!' _Shadow thought. _'What am I going to do with her. I certainly can't keep her here...'_

Then Amy crawled over and hugged Shadow's leg. She smiled up at him with the same bright smile Shadow always saw in his mind and he almost smiled back. He felt the corners of his lips twitch up.

"Daddy!" Amy said.

_'Ok...No...This was not going to happen!' _Shadow's face fell and he picked her up.

"Daddy!" Amy said again, rubbing her face into his chest fur.

Shadow let out a big sigh. Life was cruel to him.

"You know, you can leave her here." Satan said. "With your sheep, that is. I think your...Tula...will be an excellent guard dog."

Shadow looked up at Satan. "Guard dog?"

Satan nodded. Then, a large shadow fell over the two hedgehogs and Shadow slowly turned around. Right behind him was Tula, still white and fluffy, but her eyes were glowing blue and honestly, she looked like a buffed out bull with wool. Didn't see that one coming, did you. Shadow span back around and stared at Satan.

"What did you do to her?" Shadow asked.

"Nothing! That's just what happens to everyone and anything that gets a taste of my power. You changed too. It just doesn't show on the outside like Tula there."

Shadow glanced back and saw Amy petting Tula. "Um. Will Tula stay looking like that?"

Satan waved his hand. "Dunno. Don't care."

Shadow felt his anger rising. "Okay...Fine. Let's go, Tula."

Shadow vanished into the darkness, leaving Hell and returning to the surface.

The moment Shadow breathed in the crisp night air, he noticed he preferred the flames back with Satan.

_'Odd. When did I get used to those flames so much that I actually preferred it?'_ Shadow thought.

Amy grabbed Shadow's ear and pulled.

"Ow! Amy!" Shadow scolded.

Amy giggled.

"Right. First, we've got to get you to Rouge and them. They'll take care of you."

It wasn't hard for Shadow to locate them and he realized why Satan's information was so vague. Shadow could sense them, the souls on Earth, and depending on the color and shape, he could tell who was who. The wanted target was like a blinking, red soul and interestingly, the cat was nearby the town Rouge and Cream were in.

It took most of the night to travel, so by the time Shadow arrived, it was nearly dawn and Amy was sound asleep. The house they arrived at was grand, fit for five big families. Yes, Amy would be just fine here. Shadow knocked on the door.

A few minutes later, Cream opened the door. "Shadow!"

"Cream, I need you to take care of Amy until she grows up, okay?" Shadow said. He asked politely, but there was a commanding tone underneath it.

Cream nodded and looked at Amy. "So you really did bring her back to life."

Shadow stared at Amy's small and fragile body as Cream took her into her own arms. Her soul was certainly there and he could detect it, but it was not a mortal soul. Most likely, she was still an immortal angel. He would have to ask Satan about that.

"I'll be back soon." Shadow said and then left just like that.

"Wait! Shadow! What do I do with the monster you left behind?" Cream shouted, but Shadow was already gone. Nervously, she smiled at Tula.

"Baahh!" Even with the appearance change, Tula still sounded the same.

"Tula?" Cream said in wonder.

"Baahh!"

Just as Tails, Rouge, and Knuckles came down to see what was keeping Cream, she fainted with Amy still in her arms.

Meanwhile, Shadow had already tracked down the poor cat and had him killed. It was starting to become meaningless. Their deaths that is. And killing, too. Shadow could feel in his heart that he no longer sympathized with his victims. Dare he think it, he almost felt giddy in the rush of action. Shadow shook away the dark thoughts. Was he going crazy?

The sun was higher in the sky now, but since Amy was up most of the night, Shadow had a feeling that she was still asleep.

_'I should get back Satan and report the success.'_ Shadow absentmindedly thought, but then he saw a pink rose on the ground not too far from where he was standing. _'I think I'll check in on Amy first before I go.'_

It took him less than a second to return to Cream and Rouge's house. His new powers were certainly useful for something.

This time, he didn't knock and just barged in, startling Tails and Cream whom were having tea together in the living room.

"Welcome back." Cream said as if Shadow always have belonged here. "I put Amy in the second room to the left upstairs. She's still asleep, so try not to wake her."

Shadow nodded then went upstairs to see Amy. The first thing he saw when he opened the door was that the room was obviously a nursery. Since they couldn't have done this in the few hours he was gone, they must be expecting a child. The lucky couple was easy to figure out: Rouge and Knuckles. Shadow closed the door quietly behind him.

"Baahh!" Tula, back in her little sheep form (not the beast form), appeared behind the little bed in which Amy slept soundly.

"Nice to see you small again, Tula." Shadow whispered, pulling up a chair next to Amy's bed. "Has she been asleep this entire time?"

"Baahh!"

"Yeah, I don't understand you."

Annoyed, Tula huffed and stalked away into a corner.

Shadow would have apologized to Tula, but at the moment, he was too busy captivated by Amy. The soft yellow light from the window painted Amy's quills a softer pink and made her cute little hands look soft. Amy mumbled in her sleep and then smile. She was still beautiful. She was still his life. Shadow gently stroke Amy's face with the back of his hand.

Satan's words returned to him. _'She'll be back to the age she died in sooner than you think.'_

_'That's right. It's only temporary. This is still Amy after all. This is still my heart...'_ Shadow fell asleep right then and there, sitting on the wooden chair and leaning on Amy's little bed. His face was towards Amy as was hers. Tula got up from her sulking corner and curled up by Shadow's feet. With the soft light cast into the room and all three immortals asleep soundly, Cream and Tails decided it would be best to leave them to rest for a while longer.

* * *

**First of all, HOORAY! Tula isn't dead! In fact, she got powerful just like Shadow. (Not as powerful but stronger either way) I think I'm emotionally attached to that little sheep now. lol XD**

**Second of all, I was a little hesitant to which way I wanted to create this chapter and I ended up going with my original idea. Yes, Amy is a child. Probably around two or three years old right now. And again, yes, she is still immortal. It will be explained better in the next two chapters.**

**Also, I know it's a little awkward for Shadow to love a child, but this is still Amy! And she is going to grow up! I promise! Besides, love has no boundaries! And Shadow is certainly going to protect her _every step of the way_. So, please continue to read my story!**

**To those who are still reading and reviewing! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCHHH! I LOVE YOU GUYS! XD**


	9. Step 9

**CHAPTER 9**

******** 7 years old********

Shadow watched restlessly as Amy was exploring the wonders of tree-climbing. It didn't feel right to just wait at the bottom. What he wanted to do was climb up there with her.

"Don't you lay one finger on this tree or any other tree! I wanna climb on my ownseome!" Amy declared just as Shadow thought of secretly climbing up there with her.

_'How does she do that?' _Shadow thought.

It wasn't just Shadow who stood stiff on the ground right below Amy. Tula was there, too, and she was circling around the tree in a fitful pace. For the hundredth time, Tula looked up at Amy and called and for the hundredth time, Amy hushed her with a scolding.

"Look, Daddy! I can swing on this branch!" Amy called down.

"Amy, don't do that! You might-"

The branch she sat on snapped and in a flutter of white silk, little Amy began to fall down.

"Weee!"

Shadow jumped up, caught Amy, and landed safely on a sturdier branch. Holding her closely in his arms, he nuzzled her with his nose. "What were you thinking, Amy? You could have hurt yourself!"

"But Daddy would have protected me!" Amy squealed.

Shadow sighed to himself. Maybe he was spoiling her too much. It was as if she had no sense for danger! He looked at Amy and she looked at him. Giggling, she pet him on the head.

_'I give up. She wins.' _he thought with a smile. Then he kissed her little cheek and hugged her. Amy hugged him back and giggled in his ear.

"Baahh!" Somehow, Tula had climbed up onto the branch they were sitting in and now, she stared at them with annoyance.

"Sorry Tula. Forgot you for a moment there!" Amy laughed as she pet Tula on the head, too.

******** **9 years old************

Since Shadow was too busy working, Amy was all by herself. Well, not exactly. She was with Rouge and Knuckles' four year old daughter, Cami, a dark pink, winged echidna. Besides the obvious difference, Amy and Cami could pass off as sisters. Just because they both had pink fur. Cami had apparently seen a beautiful diamond at a store the other day- she shared her mother's passion for jewels, but Amy was not particularly interested. Jewels, dresses, finery, luxury, beauty. Those things never really appealed to Amy.

The only thing she really needed in this world was Shadow.

Then Cream came up and sat down next to Amy.

"Hello, Amy. How are you today?" Cream asked.

"I'm fine, thank you. How is Gavin today?" Amy said.

Cream rubbed her bloated stomach lovingly. "Fine." she whispered. "He should be coming any day now."

For a moment, everything was peaceful as the two girls stared in wonder at Cream's baby Gavin.

"Where's daddy?" Amy blurted out.

Cream looked up, a little startled. "He's working right now. You know how it is."

Amy sighed. She really wanted to see Shadow. She couldn't wait for the night to come. That was the time when Shadow usually came. He had stopped coming during daylight hours a year ago. It was as if he couldn't come during daylight hours.

************ 15 years old (one year before the year she died in)*********

It was a beautiful night-cloudless with a full moon shining down on the world-a night perfect for visiting in secret which Amy would have done if she wasn't grounded.

"Stupid curfew." she muttered underneath her breath. She hated being bound to rules. Especially the ones that kept her away from Shadow...

_'No! Don't you even think about that, Amy! He's like a daddy to you! You can't seriously be in love with him...can you?'_ Amy thought to herself.

Amy Rose shook her head to try and clear her thoughts. Lately, she couldn't think of Shadow as a father. And it wasn't just because he was becoming more and more absent from her life. At least, she didn't think so. Actually, she _knew _that wasn't the reason. Gut feeling.

Shadow's absence wasn't the only thing bothering her either. Since a few months ago, Amy had been having odd dreams about a land of clouds. It was odd because she felt like she had actually been there before. The funny thing was, Tula was there, too! Not in her monster version, but as the deceiving, sweet little sheep form she wore in the sunlight.

She continued to stare outside her window, wondering what Shadow was doing when it struck her. She could sneak into Hell and surprise him! Since it was technically in another world, she was never leaving her room in this world! Amy congratulated herself for being so smart.

Opening the portal was easy. After all, she was Shadow's... daughter... She cringed away from the word as if it was a conflagration. Then she checked herself in the mirror. Knowing that she looked presentable, she opened the dark portal and entered.

The place was as hot as ever. Black flames licking your skin. You couldn't see them, but like a cruel monster, it saw you. Amy wondered through the darkness until she started hearing voices. More specifically, Shadow and Satan's voices.

Noticing the urgency in their conversation, Amy stopped just far enough away to stay hidden but still hear.

"I can't believe this! They want her back? If they wanted her, why didn't they try taking her the moment she disappeared?" Shadow shouted.

"Shut up! How would I know how Heaven runs?" Satan muttered, picking his nose.

"Just! Could you just stop picking your nose and TALK TO ME?" Shadow yelled, growing more and more angry.

Satan stopped to glower down at Shadow. "Evil has done you good, Shadow, but with Amy, you have no choice but to give her up."

"What do you mean no choice? Isn't Hell suppose to go against Heaven? Why the heck are we running with our tail between our legs like a bunch of spineless pups?" Shadow said. "We should stand up against them! Fight! Win!"

"Are you saying I'm weak?" Satan stood up, radiating power and slamming against Shadow's. "Don't forget that you are my servant. You have no power over me."

"I didn't call you weak, but I won't deny it if you submit to Heaven without a fight!" Shadow growled.

Amy desperately wanted to see what was going on, but she didn't dare move in fear of being caught. If Shadow opposed Satan any more, she feared that he would die or at least get injured.

"Fine then. But I'm telling you, Shadow the Hedgehog, the ending won't change. It doesn't matter that this is Hell. Heaven always wins. No matter what." Satan warned.

There was a brief moment of silence before Shadow spoke, but what he said was too quiet for Amy to hear.

* * *

**Yeah... I know it's short. I'm sorry! .' I've been really busy lately, but hopefully, the next chapter will end up being longer. After all, new events have appeared! The Heavens are demanding that Satan return Amy to them! Why now? What for? What will Shadow do to keep her?**

**And poor Amy. With no memory of her mortal self, she thinks of Shadow as her father... at the same time she's falling for him? Is it me or is that awkward?**


	10. Step 10

**CHAPTER 10**

Amy returned to her room, feeling lost and confused. They never mentioned the name, but she had a feeling that they were talking about her. What did all this mean? Was she an angel stolen from her home in the clouds? Does that mean Shadow was not her father? The thought made her heart flutter with hope, but at the same time it was crushed because it meant Shadow lied to her.

No.

If she really thought about it, Shadow never claimed to be her father. She just assumed he was.

(MEANWHILE)

While Amy was at a loss, Shadow paced back and forth in front of Satan's throne, waiting for his return. It honestly didn't take long. After about an hour, he returned to his seat in a smoke of poisonous gas that was as dark as the black walls around them.

"I hate travelling! It's such a waste of time!" Satan complained.

"So did the Heavens-?"

"I mean, it's so light up there! Burns your eyes!"

"Satan-"

"That's another reason why sinners don't go to Heaven! They won't be able to live under that light! And the constant singing? Argh!"

"...Satan-"

"I don't know how those angels do it! My eyes still burn from going up there!"

"You were only gone for an hour. Did they-"

"And it's so cold! It's much warmer down here, Shadow."

"SATAN! SHUT UP AND TELL ME IF THEY CHANGED THEIR MINDS!"

Satan stopped his ranting and looked at Shadow. "I told you, Shadow. Heaven always wins. There was nothing I could do." Shadow continued to stare at him with hard, cruel eyes. "I can't believe you tricked me into going up there, too. What a waste of time."

Shadow's ears twitched and suddenly, he looked very calm and at peace. His body stiffened into a resting stance. "I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

"Thank you! Finally, some appreciation!" Satan exclaimed, throwing his arms up.

"Sorry to have extended your life, that is."

Satan sat up in his throne and stared incredulously at Shadow. "Are you threatening me?"

Shadow's eyes turned to stone and his face masked over into an emotionless state- just like how he always became before a murder. Wordlessly, he raised his red sword that was forever stained with blood. His heart pounded faster and faster. The adrenaline roared in his ears and before Satan's very eyes, Shadow turned against his own superior.

The last thing Satan saw were those blood-red eyes as Shadow killed him mercilessly.

To Shadow, it was an awakening. Power surged through him and Hell reshaped itself as it made room for its new ruler- one that was stronger than the fallen one. Shadow hardly paid any attention. He merely strolled over to the throne and sat, claiming his rightful place. The once invisible, black flames brightened into a deep red. The walls around Shadow disintegrated to reveal the dark world- a land of torture and punishment where everywhere you looked, there were erupting volcanoes- poor, sinful souls cried out- the sky was a smoky black with violet clouds circling around a blood-red moon- a moon that almost matched Shadow's ruby eyes. The area around the throne rose to an amazing height so that anyone sitting on it could see the view from a bird's eye view.

Frowning grimly, Shadow took a deep breath to let his new strength settle in and as if that breath was a command, all the demons and sinful souls stopped their labor and looked up to their new King.

"We're going to war." Shadow announced.

The sound was barely a whisper, but the words flew to every part of Hell and its inhabitants answered it. Suddenly, swords clanged together for battle. Sparks flew in preparation for the new weapons. Monsters arose from the grounds and molted walls.

(In Heaven)

The angels felt the change of winds the moment Satan died and in response, began to prepare for battle themselves. The Angel Council murmured amongst themselves.

"Michaelis! What do we do? Shadow is not one to back down." an angel whispered fiercely into the ears of a silver furred rabbit.

"Don't worry. Amy is destined to return to us. She is an angel after all." Michaelis said. "As for Shadow, he will become obedient once we obtain Amy."

The angel nodded once and flew away.

"Unfortunate." Michaelis mumbled to himself. "What will you do Amy Rose?"

(In Amy's Room)

Amy blinked in the sunlight that shone through her window from outside. She had been up all night worrying. Something was obviously wrong.

Amy rubbed her eyes to try and clear away the fog from her vision. The war inside her brain, however, would not go away like the foggy vision.

_'Shadow wouldn't have lied to me, right?'_

_'But he let you think of him as your father.'_

_'That's not exactly lying though.'_

_'But he didn't tell you the truth either...'_

She turned to look at her mirror that stood against the wall across her bed that she sat on. The image reflected was of a pink hedgehog- but it wasn't her. The eyes and nose were the same. The color was the same. The body form, lips, ears, everything was the same.

But it wasn't her.

When Amy blinked again, she was no longer in her room.

_'Oh, great! It was bad enough to worry about Shadow, but now I have to worry about where I am!" _Amy looked around and sighed. _'Guess I'll try to figure out where I am.'_

So Amy wandered around, trying to find out where she was exactly, but the place was empty and sometimes, she wondered if she was on the floor, the ceiling, or the wall. The place was white. Not ivory or cream white. Just white. Nothing but white as far as the eye could see. That is why the moment a color other than white appeared, Amy ran to it without a second thought.

The closer she got, the more she realized that it was a pink hedgehog.

_'Am I looking into a mirror, again?' _she thought.

But if it was a reflection, she would be copying Amy's movements. The figure smiled sadly and stared into her eyes. Emeralds looked into emeralds of the same color and shape.

"Who are you?" Amy asked.

"I'm Amy Rose, the Golden One." the figure answered. "Who are you?"

"I-I'm Shadow's...daughter."

"If that is true, then why do you look like you are suffering?"

Amy blinked. "B-Because... (sigh) it's complicated."

The figure continued to stare into Amy's eyes. "It's okay for you to love him the way you do. It's natural after all."

"Natural to be in love with your own... f-father?" Amy blurted out.

"To love Shadow is natural, because you aren't his daughter. And neither am I."

"Wh- What are you talking about?"

"Your existence is the result of Michaelis' influence. He's the Archangel of Heaven and it is part of his job to 'reward' the Golden Ones for a job well done with a new start." the figure's eyes grew even sadder. "Your existence is here to replace me."

The figure collapsed into a fit of tears. Feeling the same pain, Amy knelt down beside her and put her hand on the figure's back in an act of comfort.

"Hey, don't cry. Are you sad because I'm replacing you?"

The figure shook her head. "No. I'm just sad. Sad, sad. Shadow...he...I won't see him anymore... _we_ won't see him anymore."

Amy stiffened. "What do you mean?" she demanded. "Why won't I see him anymore?"

"Shadow killed Satan."

Amy's eyes widened. "How do you know that?"

"Because I've been watching him." The figure started crying again. "Poor Shadow! He's done so much for me and I... I-I..." She shook her head, unable to continue.

"...You love him." Amy whispered. "And since we technically are the same, I feel your love as if it's my own." The figure didn't answer. "That's right isn't it? Isn't it? Gosh! You need to go and tell him! Tell Shadow that you love him!"

The figure raised her head. "What about you?"

"Well...um...I got it!" Amy stood up and smiled triumphantly down at her other form. "We can just mix!"

"Mix?"

"Yeah! Like cake batter! We're basically the same person, so if Michaelis could separate us or whatever he did, then we can just merge back together into one Amy!"

The other Amy stood up. "It's worth a try I guess. Will it hurt?"

"Don't know."

"Baahh!"

The two Amys turned around to see Tula standing just a few feet away. (Wonder how she got in Amy's conscience. O.o)

"Baahh!" Tula wagged her tail a little and started to walk away.

The Amys looked at each other.

"Ready to go?" One Amy said.

"Ready." The other Amy said.

Holding each others' hands, they followed Tula through the white maze.

* * *

**So the father figure love thing isn't as awkward anymore, right? Since Michaelis' Amy isn't the same hedgehog who sacrificed herself and her love for Shadow was not hers but the first Amy's. Yeah...Kind of confusing.**

**If you have any questions about the story so far, please feel free to ask!**

**And THANK TO EVERYONE who is still reading this! ^^ I hope it is still worthy of your time!**


	11. The Step before Eternity

**CHAPTER 11**

The entire time Amy was reawakening, the Heavens and Hell were in combat. Heaven had attacked first, so the battle was in Hell. In this situation Hell would be the one on defense, but it was actually on the offense with Shadow leading them to either victory or crushing defeat. Angel blood painted the black walls of Hell blue while the ashes of demons filled the air in dust tornadoes. It was a demoralizing chaos.

Shadow cut down an angel and looked up just in time to see Michaelis sneak away into the dining room. Blind with pain and anger, he charged through the battlefield and into the dining room after Michaelis. Unfortunately, the moment he entered, Shadow found himself alone in the big room. The empty, stone table that stood in the middle stretched across most of the space. Just the table. No chairs. No doors beside the one behind him. Shadow gripped his sword cautiously and advanced further into the room.

As Shadow walked across the room, Michaelis flew down from the ceiling and moved to kill, but Shadow blocked just in time. However, the block was a tad bit too rushed and Shadow was tossed back. His back collided with the black onyx wall and the air rushed out of his lungs.

"Shadow, Shadow." Michaelis tisked. "Listen up. This is how it all goes down. Hell obeys Heaven and I don't destroy it, ok?"

Shadow picked up a piece of onyx and threw it at the angel, hitting him squarely on the head.

"I'd like to see you try." Shadow spat. "I'm different from Satan, okay? I refuse to admit defeat! We've barely started fighting!"

Shadow swiftly closed the distance between them and slashed Michaelis's chest. Michaelis stumbled backwards, but quickly composed himself again and counter attacked, almost cutting Shadow's good hand. Shadow jumped backwards, then launched himself from one of the chairs and hurtled back into the danger zone. The two fell over, both of them losing their weapons. Shadow punched wildly, but was kicked off after he got in four hits. Ignoring their weapons, they each picked up chairs and started hurtling them at each other. When they ran out of chairs, they ran for their weapons. Shadow picked up his sword first and threw it.

"Aahh!"

Shadow's ears pricked up in shock as a feminine voice cried out instead of Michaelis's. In front of Michaelis was none other than Amy Rose. Her shoulder where Shadow's sword must have grazed over was bleeding badly.

"Amy!" Shadow choked out.

Amy looked up and stared into his ruby eyes. The rubies were filled with horror and pain as if it was Shadow who got hurt instead of Amy. Her emeralds were glazed with pain, too, but oddly, she seemed happy.

"Shadow..." Amy sighed. "I'm back."

Shadow stared in confusion, but as he continued to stare at her, he knew. This was the Amy that had sacrificed herself. "Your memories-" he started.

"Have returned." she finished for him.

Shadow's entire body relaxed and he felt at peace, but then it tensed again as Michaelis laughed.

"Splendid! Then, Amy, you know you have to return to Heaven with me, don't you?" Michaelis said with a smirk.

Shadow wanted to knock that smirk off that face.

"Yes." Amy said. "I'm ready."

Shadow's attention returned to his beloved. "Amy? Why?!"

"Let me go this one time, Shadow." Amy said gently. "I have to go."

Then she disappeared along with all the angels. Shadow didn't get to say good-bye. Not even to tell her he was ok with letting her go. After all these years, she finally returned and at that same moment, she was gone.

Too much pain...

Shadow clutched his head in anger and pain. Then he screamed. Hell shuddered at the wrath of its King and all its inhabitants collapsed under the force of the burden.

**(...three months later... In Heaven)**

All the angelic Golden Ones fluttered about, preparing for Amy's final transformation. It was her second sixteenth birthday- the day she was to finally obtain her wings, beautiful and white like all the other Golden Ones'. She wore an elegant dress that looked like a waterfall of melting silver. It wrapped around her, hugging her curves and creating a silky pool around her feet. She wore black sandals and onyx jewels all around her neck and arms.

"You look absolutely gorgeous." A dusty brown cat purred.

Amy smiled softly in thanks.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" a canary to her right twittered.

Opening a jewelry box, the bird brought out an earring that looked like a black rose garden with a garnet hanging onto the edge. Amy's breath ceased as she gingerly took the earring.

"Where did you get this?" she breathed.

"It was mine way back when I was still mortal. I've only got one of the pair, though." the cat meowed from behind her. "Beautiful isn't it?"

Amy just nodded, never removing her eyes from the delicate beauty. "May I have it?"

"Of course! I've got no use for it anymore."

"Well, hurry up and put it on! We'll be waiting outside."

The cat and canary left, leaving Amy all alone in her room. She turned and faced the mirror, staring at her reflection. Today was the day. Silently, tears fell from her face. The earring in her hands was the same earring she had seen that day in the marketplace and even now, it reminded her of Shadow. Smiling sadly, she put the earring on her right ear on which it fit perfectly and left.

The setting was gorgeous. The angels really know how to throw a party / celebration. The moment Amy had closed the door to the house she shared with the Golden Ones, she felt like she was in an alternate reality. (Although, being in Heaven is kind of an alternate reality already...)

While she admired the setting, Michaelis went up to Amy and embraced her. "Congratulations on finally getting your wings!"

Amy thanked him politely.

Yep. It was Amy's sixteenth birthday, the day she finally started her years of immortality- which also meant it was the day she grew her wings. That is why there was a celebration. The moment Amy grew her wings was when Michaelis would crown her with a halo, marking her as an Angel of Heaven.

Many angels went up to her and said their congratulations and many times, Amy thanked them with the same polite answer. Her mind was preoccupied elsewhere. Mostly her own condition since she could feel the wings stirring beneath the skin on her back, itching to be freed.

Then the countdown began.

Amy was ushered up onto a white stage so that everyone could see her wings unfurl for the first time. They were shivering with joyful excitement, but as soon as the first feather appeared, the smiles froze in place. Amy closed her eyes and let her wings open like a blooming rose- the wings were shaped just like the tattoo she had when she was mortal, but the colors were a brilliantly solid black- the wings of a fallen angel.

Amy opened her eyes and smiled shyly. "That's how it is Michaelis."

Michaelis frowned, his face showing wrinkles that were invisible just moments ago, showing his actual age. "I see. Well, Amy Rose. I have no choice but to banish you to Hell..." After a moment, he finally smiled softly. "Live in love for eternity."

Amy gleamed at him and then at everyone. "Good bye."

**(...Now in Hell...)**

Shadow opened his hand and Amy took it gratefully with her own as she stepped down from ivory stairs. He kissed her palms and then, pulling her closer so that he could wrap his other arm around her waist, kissed the corner of her lips.

"Baa!" Tula greeted Amy as if she had never left. Amy let go of Shadow's hands to pet her beloved sheep.

But a few moments later, Shadow hugged her from behind, kissing the nape of her neck and demanding her attention. Amy purred softly.

He stared at her, penetrating her emerald pools with his ruby orbs.

She stared at him, letting her hands roam over his quills and drinking in his toxic scent.

Then his eyes wandered over to her lone earring.

"Where did you get that?" he asked.

"From Heaven." she said. "Looks like you, right?"

"I am much better to look at."

"Does that mean you hate it?" Amy's face slightly fell.

Shadow shook his head. "I hate the irony." Then, he pulled out the other half of the earring- the one Amy saw that day in the market.

She gasped. "That's-!"

"You stood there quite awhile, looking at in fascination, so I bought it." Shadow smiled. "I was planning to confess my love to you with it."

Amy wrapped her hands delicately around the other half and brought it close to her face. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Do you love me, Shadow the Hedgehog?"

"I do. Do you love me, Amy Rose?"

She slowly opened her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering like feathers, and smiled a smile that took Shadow's breath away in a mist. "I do." Then they kissed- a soft and sweet Angel's embrace- a fiercely passionate inferno- a kiss that joined two worlds and wrapped fate around it like a ribbon. "You were with me every step of the way. Just like you promised."

She couldn't help letting out a few tears, but that was fine with Shadow. He simply just licked them away, but once he started, he couldn't stop. Amy shivered as excitement ran along her body. Shadow's kisses were starting to grow more and more demanding and impatient. She could feel her face flush in embarrassment as her breaths became more haphazard. The world was starting to disappear and no matter how she tried to remain sane, Shadow's ravenous touch kept bringing her down again.

"Let go of the world around you." Shadow's voice flowed into her ears like a gentle thunder storm. "Let me show you my heart."

His words broke the last string and Amy's conscience dove into a world of endless bliss.

* * *

**It is COMPLETE!^^**

**Sorry, I know, the ending could have been better...the entire plot could have been better, but... c'est la vie! XD**

**Thank you to all those who read this story from the beginning to the end!**

**And plz review! There's nothing better to give to writers here than a review! (no matter if they are a comment about something or a praise worthy for an angel!)**

**3 3 3 Au Revoir! Until we meet again!^^ 3 3 3**


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